Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said she fully supports the integration of crypto trading services by the country’s exchanges as she touted 2026 as the “digital year”, according to a report by Japanese crypto news site Coinpost.
Katayama highlighted that regulated venues will play a central role in expanding crypto adoption during a ceremony in Tokyo on January 5 to mark the first trading session of the year. “For the public to enjoy the benefits of digital assets and blockchain assets, the role of securities and commodity exchanges is important,” she said.
Digital asset trading in Japan remains largely isolated from traditional capital markets. This separation is a defining feature of Japan’s regulatory approach, as digital assets have long been governed by the Payment Services Act rather than the Securities Act. However, regulators are now considering integrating crypto into the securities framework that governs stocks and bonds to better reflect how these assets are used and regulated.
Katayama also pointed to overseas precedent, highlighting how crypto investment products have gained traction in the United States. “In the United States, through ETF structures, they have become widespread as a means of hedging against inflation, and similar efforts are expected in Japan,” she said, signaling an openness to more traditional crypto investment vehicles.
His comments come as Japan’s Financial Services Agency advances plans to overhaul crypto regulation and taxation by fiscal 2026, including proposals to move crypto gains into a more uniform tax framework and align certain digital assets more closely with traditional financial products. Industry players have long argued that such reforms are necessary to maintain crypto activity nationwide.
“As finance minister, I will fully support the efforts of stock exchanges to develop cutting-edge fintech and technology business environments,” Katayama said, reinforcing the government’s shift from cautious oversight to structured integration.
